Baby girl with a cancerous tumour that engulfs her mouth is being flown from Malaysia to London for treatment
- Ainul Mardhiah Ahmad Safiuddin developed the growth at three months old
- The now nine-month-old is thought to have an extragonadal germ cell tumour
- Occurs when cells that form sperm and eggs get misplaced in the womb
A baby girl with a huge cancerous tumour covering her mouth is being flown to the UK for treatment.
Ainul Mardhiah Ahmad Safiuddin has been receiving chemotherapy since she was three months old – but it has done little to slow the growth.
The now nine-month-old is thought to have an extragonadal germ-cell tumour, which occurs when cells that ordinarily form sperm and eggs get misplaced in the womb.
Ainul is due to travel from her home in the state constituency of Ayer Molek, in south-western Malacca State, Malaysia, to London for an MRI scan and subsequent treatment.
Her father Ahmad Safiuddin Ahmad Razak, 24, has thanked those who donated towards his daughters’ flight, adding the family are now just waiting for the tickets to be processed.
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Ainul Mardhiah Ahmad Safiuddin has a huge cancerous tumour on her mouth (pictured)
Pictured as a newborn, the youngster seemed healthy until the mass started to grow when she was around three months old. Despite reportedly undergoing chemotherapy, the treatment has not been able to prevent the tumour engulfing the now nine-month-old’s jaw
Two doctors from a private hospital in Malaysia will fly with the family to London, where another medic will reportedly greet them at the airport.
Mr Razak said flying could prove ‘risky’ for his daughter due to her condition. He did not confirm which London hospital his daughter will be treated at.
It is therefore unknown whether Ainul’s therapy will be at a private clinic or on the NHS, which can cost to health visitors.
The youngster will undergo an MRI scan in London before a decision is made on how to treat her. An MRI was also carried out in Malaysia but the results were reportedly inconclusive.
Ainul’s mother Nurul Erwani Zaidi, also 24, claims her daughter’s tumour is continuing to grow despite her having chemotherapy since she was three months.
The parents add their daughter has become increasingly less active and can no longer move her tiny body.
Ainul’s tumour is thought to be derived from germ cells, which ordinary develop into sperm and eggs. Germ-cell tumours are therefore most common in the ovaries or testicles.
However, germ cells can occasionally be left behind in other parts of the body when a baby develops in the womb.
Alternatively, the cancer may start in the ovaries or testicles and spread at a very early stage, with the original tumour either disappearing or being too small to find.
Anil’s tumour (seen left) has reportedly left the youngster unable to move. Her parents Ahmad Safiuddin Ahmad Razak (pictured on the right) and Nurul Erwani Zaidi (on the left) have thanked those who donated for her to fly from their native Malaysia to the UK for treatment
WHAT IS AN EXTRAGONADAL GERM-CELL TUMOUR?
An extragonadal germ-cell tumour occurs when cancer develops from germ cells outside of the ovaries or testicles.
Germ cells ordinarily develop into sperm and eggs. These tumours therefore typically occur in the ovaries or testicles because this is where germ cells are.
However, germ cells can sometimes be left behind in other parts of the body during a baby’s development in the womb.
Alternatively, extragonadal germ-cell tumours may come about when a cancer spreads from the ovaries or testicles at a very early stage, with the original mass disappearing or being too small to find.
These tumours most often occur in the brain, the back of the abdomen or the area of the chest between the lungs.
Extragonadal germ-cell tumours are ‘very rare’, with their exact prevalence being unknown.
Treatment depends on the type of tumour a patient has. It may include chemo, radiotherapy, surgery or a combination of the three.
Source: Cancer Research UK
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